Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The graph below shows the average monthly change in the prices of three metals during 2014.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Average monthly change in prices of copper, nickel and zinc (2014)
Student answer (Band 6.5)
The provided line graph illustrates the changing prices of nickel, copper and zinc month per month in 2014 by percentage.
Overall, the patterns of the three metals tended to have a few fluctuations over time with the lowest decrease in June. Even though each metal reported a different change in price in January, by December the change percetanges had been almost the same for all the three.
The highest increases were registered in two first months of the year: January and February. For nickel there was an increase of 6%, just followed by zinc with 3% and finally 2% for copper. In addition, the former saw a substantial decrease of 9% between January to June.
By comparision, nickel, copper and zinc all reported a negative percetange in June, with numbers just under 0 to -3. Similarly, the three metals ended the year with approximately the same percetange of price modification between 1% and 2%.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response covers all parts of the task well, providing an overview and selecting key features and comparisons. The student correctly identifies the general trends, noting that the three metals experienced fluctuations and highlighting the peaks in January and February as well as the negative figures in June. However, there are some factual inaccuracies regarding the data from the visual source: the student states that nickel saw a decrease of '9% between January to June' (whereas it dropped from 6% to -3%, which is a drop of 9 percentage points, but the phrasing is slightly imprecise) and incorrectly reports zinc starting at 3% in February when the graph shows it at 3%. Despite these minor data reading lapses, the response presents a clear and generally accurate summary of the main features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The response is arranged coherently with a logical overall progression. It begins with an introductory paragraph, provides an overall trend summary, details specific features in the body paragraphs, and concludes with general comparisons. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different features of the chart. Cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Even though', 'In addition', and 'By comparision' are used to connect ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, though minor improvements in the flow between sentences would enhance readability.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'fluctuations', 'substantial decrease', and 'percentage of price modification'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, including 'percetanges' and 'percetange' (repeated multiple times), as well as 'comparision' instead of 'comparison'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including concessive clauses ('Even though each metal reported...') and participial phrases. There are some good control areas, but also noticeable grammatical slips, such as 'changing prices of nickel, copper and zinc month per month' (instead of 'month by month') and 'in two first months' (instead of 'in the first two months'). Punctuation and sentence structures are generally sound, and errors do not impede overall comprehension, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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